Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Asphalt Awards

Occasionally — OK, often — press releases land in my drawer that make me laugh.

The one you see below, proudly touting the achievements of Lafarge North America's Colorado Asphalt and Paving Operations certainly fits the bill. Lafarge, apparently, won big at the Asphalt Pavement Quality Awards and the 2011 Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference and Equipment Show.

Which leads to the obvious question: There are awards shows for asphalt?

Um, yeah. Of course, there are. There are awards shows for everything.

But listen, once I was done snorting my coffee through my nose, I thought about this a little more graciously and realized that, well, that's great. Good for Lafarge. They're laying asphalt the right way, and they're looking at ways to green their operations.

I use asphalt every day and the only time I ever think about the people who laid it is when my car lands in a gaping pothole. People who lay asphalt deserve to be recognized, just as everyone who goes to work and does the best job they know how to deserve a slap on the back.

Lafarge was recognized for its work and its partnership with the City and County of Denver and the Colorado Department of Transportation Regions 2 and 3 on three distinct projects. The categories and projects for which Lafarge’s three Colorado paving businesses (Metro Paving, Northern Paving and Southern Paving) gained recognition included:City Street, New or Reconstruction award category — street improvements on West Yale Avenue in southwest Denver.Smoothest Pavement, New or Reconstruction award category — paving work on State Highway 14 at Muddy Pass in Jackson CountyRural Highway, New or Reconstruction award category — paving work on State Highway 14 at Muddy Pass in Jackson CountyUrban Highway, Resurfacing award category — paving work on Interstate 25 through Pueblo"We are very pleased to recognize Lafarge, the City and County of Denver and [the Colorado Department of Transportation] for [these] accomplishments. It is truly an honor and speaks well of the quality of work and cooperation and partnership between the [respective] organizations," stated Tom Peterson, Executive Director, Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association.

The “Environmental Sustainability Commendation” awards recognized two Lafarge projects: 1) the Green Park project at Denver International Airport; and 2) the paving work on Larimer County Road 17. Both projects used a high percentage of RAP (Recycled or Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement) in their Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) mixes to achieve award-winning results.

“Receiving these awards is incredibly rewarding for the business and for our employees, especially when we are recognized with our valued partners and for our sustainability efforts,” said Steve Peterson, Business Unit General Manager for Lafarge’s West US Asphalt and Paving business unit. “Our employees are committed to perform at the highest and safest level on every job and this award is proof that their dedication is recognized.”

The Colorado Asphalt Pavement “Best in Colorado” Quality Awards are presented annually to recognize the quality efforts of asphalt producers, contractors and agencies/owners in the State of Colorado. 66 entities representing 41 projects were nominated for awards and 16 projects were recognized as “Best in Colorado” in a variety of categories. Nominations are judged on overall quality and smoothness.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONThe Lafarge Group is the world leader in building materials, with top-ranking positions in all of its businesses: Cement, Aggregates & Concrete and Gypsum. With 78,000 employees in 78 countries, the Group posted sales of 15.9 billion Euros in 2009. Lafarge North America Inc. (“Lafarge North America” or "Lafarge"), a Lafarge Group company, is the largest diversified supplier of construction materials in the United States and Canada.

In 2010 and for the sixth year in a row, the Lafarge Group was listed in the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World”. With the world’s leading building materials research facility, the Lafarge Group places innovation at the heart of its priorities, working for sustainable construction and architectural creativity.